By Azlan Ramli
YOU want an SUV, a workhorse that gets you places with peace of mind and no drama. It must be reliable, and from a familiar brand, preferably one that is known to make reliable, good-quality cars.
You need seven seats, and more interior space than your old saloon can offer.
You don’t need a four- or all-wheel-drive capability; 2WD is good enough, thank you very much.
You can do without so much power, heaps of torque, sportscar-level handling or a business class interior.
Also, you don’t want to “chat” with it, make it open and shut the windows, turn on the radio, telling you where’s the nearest bubble tea outlet or doing the many things you or your very IT-savvy kids with their personal devices can do very well yourselves.
The SUVs in the market are a bit too pricey for you, not to mention their running cost. Many have gadgets and tricks that you don’t really need. And if those techno-toys and trickeries start having problems, you have a feeling they won’t be easy and/or cheap to fix.
You still want versatility, comfort, high driving position, good visibility and increased space while still maintaining a compact footprint – not feel like you’re piloting a utilitarian barge or a high-tech battlecruiser. It would be nice if it looks stylish enough but not so flashy.
Of course, that SUV has to have decent safety features – anti-lock braking system (ABS), reverse camera, more than two airbags, and stability and traction control you’ve read so much about. At least!
Sounds like too much to ask? Not with the Perodua Aruz.
With it, you can enjoy the benefits of an SUV, plus advanced features typically found only in pricier vehicles.
Like what Perodua stated during the Aruz’s launch, the SUV is among the best value on sale today, “with space, safety and efficiency elevated”.
For the sake of variety, Perodua made two variants – the 1.5 X and 1.5 Advance, RM72,900 and RM77,900 (on-the-road before insurance in Peninsular Malaysia), respectively, making the Aruz among the most competitively-priced SUVs in the Malaysian market.
On top of those aforementioned safety features, the Aruz’s other standard safety features include solar & security window film, Hill-Start Assist (HSA), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA) complementing the ABS, Isofix system with top tether and six airbags.
Save yourself the headache, just go for the 1.5 Advance. The major things it has (and not available for the 1.5 X) are the on-board camera and video recorder, and the Advanced Safety Assist (ASA) 2.0 system.
ASA, to say very least, is VERY useful – comprising Pre-collision Warning (PCW), Pre-collision Braking (PCB), Front Departure Alert (FDA) and Pedal Misoperation Control (PMC), with pedestrian detection, all working in tandem with a forward-facing stereo camera. Yes, there WILL be times when you’ll need them, and you’ll be thankful for it!
The rear-wheel-driven Aruz is powered by Perodua’s proven tough and reliable 102hp, 133Nm, 1.5-litre four-cylinder DVVT-i petrol engine and four-speed automatic transmission.
The SUV has been certified as an Energy-Efficient Vehicle (EEV), with a class-leading fuel economy of 15.6km/litre. It comes with a five-year/150,000km warranty (whichever comes first).
Not only that, the Aruz was awarded a five-star Asean NCAP safety rating by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros).
Five exterior colours are available – Ivory White, Glittering Silver, Electric Blue, Granite Grey and a new Amazon Green.
Go get it.
